Heat and fire retarding construction for vault doors



HEAT AND FIRE RETARDING CONSTRUCTION FOR VAULT DOORS Filed July 1, 1949 H. L. HENKEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 27, 1954 w T N a V T mm. A n u m L m u v. m J M mm f u.--------ll-ilfl-ll:I]- H n j u 4 F.zrllllalnfi|lcxnxlLfi.lilm1l|||W|lwu||| z "i If m r. r 8 j y I L! k W! EH I l l 0 M .u E f a E. i ||wn v |1 Ill-Ill: l llnwu mlllllml 2,684,646 HEAT AND FIRE RETARDING CONSTRUCTION FOR VAULT DOORS 2 Sheets-Shes H. L. HENKEL ATTORNEYS m M. M

IIIII. 'lllllll July 27, 1954 Filed July 1, 1949 Patented July 27, 1954 *UNI PATENT OFFICE 2,684,646 HEAT ii-tinting; RETARDING CONSTRUC- TIONFOR VAULT DOORS Harvey Lrfienkel, Hamilton, hio,f'a'ssignor, by ;mesne I assignments, to Herripg-Hall-Marvin -Safe- Company, a corporation of Ohio Application J lily-1, 1949, Serial "No. 102;621

6 Claims. -1 'This' inVention relates to heatand fire retarding doors 'and jamb frames for vaults and thelike, and more particularly to-a"door'and jamb frame construction for vaults of the t'ype' used for storing reco'rds'and the'like'to retard the passage of-heat and fire to the interior-ofthe vault for anappreciable" time.

"Vaults of the above typeusually-form a part of the fireproof 'ma-s'onryof=a building, the vault door'or-d'oors usual'ly being of metal or metal and concrete construction and hinged in a metal or 'mt'alandconcrete frame-which is set into the "masonry of 'thevault. An i appreciable spacing must be provided between the door jamb-frame andthe-adjacent'openingin the vault masonry '-in' order, when installing =the=door jamb frame, to obtain accurate adjustment of the jamb inits opening with -reference 'to the adjacent 1 floor so 'that' the doors=-wil1 properly" adjoin with-each other and with*the'adjacentwalls and sill of the door jambin asubstantial fire retarding'fitwhen closed and remain in anyopen-position without independentmotion.

Experience hasshownthat in fires; flames and 'da-magingheat pass into the vault between the door-jamb -frame and the masonryiopening into --t;he"vault. It has heretofore been the practice when-installing vault doors to leave amplespace in the opening of the vault masonryto provide for-the aboveadjustment and; after the door jamb; frame is;- installed and adjusted; tofill this space betweenthe-masonry and door jamb frame with grout toprevent or retard-possible passage of-fire or heat-through the space into the vault. New construction'often settles or'otherwise becomes slightly displaced from its original alignment, requiring-subsequent realignment of the vaultdoor. -W-hen grou-ted, however, this is not readily accomplished.

-I t is an object of'this invention therefore to provide a vault door and door jamb frame con- ;struction which isfree of grout, but at the same tiine capable of resisting or retarding the passage -offlames or substantial heat into the vault for a predetermined appreciabletime.

Another obj ect; of this inventionis--to-provide a vault door and. door; jarnb constr-uction of the "abovepharacter in Which-the means positioning and adjustingthe door jamb frame in the vault opening are readily accessible for subsequent ad- .i fis tment. U

Afurtherobjectof the invention is to provide a "non grout vault door construction which will ret'ardt'he passage of flames and damaging :heat "ifitdth vault for apredetermined period of fire condition 'fofwhich' the construction-is designed,

52 To accomplish theaboveand other important objects and advantages, which willbecome-more apparent during the course of the. followin idescription, the invention consists in therpartsaand combinations hereinafter set forth with the..un-

derstandingthat variouschanges may: beumade therein, suchas in the size; shape and arrangement of the parts, or by the substitutioneof equivalents, without departing from .the spirit of the I, invention or "exceeding 151181860136 :of thesappended claims.

In order tomake the invention-more; clearly understood-a preferred embodiment thereof'has been made the subject of illustration fin-thenaccompanying' drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a front :elevational view ofea vault door and door jamb construction.-.accordingto this invention;

' Figure 2 is a rearelevational viewtthereof;

Figure 32is=a horizontal.cross-sectional vie-w, partly broken away, taken along 1 the line: 3-1-3' of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectionali view,

I partly broken" away, taken-along the line -4-4= in by-its front wall I which-is ofmasonry construction, such as reinforced concrete and-whichis provided with a rectangular entrance-opening 2. Extending the-lengthof each verticalwall and 7 across the top wall- 4 of the-i door opening his a continuous inwardly projecting-rib '5, for'medof the masonry of-the'wall Land having-front and rear faces 6 and 'Lparallelwit'rrthe front andrear -faces of the wall I and an .inner face B-per-pendicularto the faces Sand 1.

Fitted within the opening Zisa rectangular doorjamb'irame 9'- comprisingvertical side frame pieces "I0 and II =joined togetherat their upper ends by a horizontal top lframe'piece i2, ;and-at theirlowerends vby ahorizontal, relatively thin sill piece i3 which rest on the floor ofthe vault entrance. The frame pieces 3-, i ir andlii =are;of

box-construction consisting ofa:front plate-:i i and a rear plate I5 paralleltherewithand joined thereto byan outer plate i 6 .and an inner plate i1. s seen in Figures 3 ands i, the frontiplate l l extends transverselysomewhat beyond theouter plate"; to form a peripheral flange l8 along-the front of the side 4. and I topv frame pieces it l I and l2.

""The outer plate l 6 extends rearwar'dlyat; right anglesto the. front plate I 4,. then .inW-ardlyparallel with thiront plates toward'the inner plate I? and then rearwardly to the back plate I5 to form a step or shoulder IS. The inner plate I! is contoured transversely according to the transversal edge contour of a particular door to be used. For example, the vertical plates ll may be formed with a vertical groove 28 to receive a corresponding tongue 2! on the vertical edge of the door, and the top inner plate ll may be formed with a forwardly facing angular flange 22 to fit complementary flanges 23 on the upper edges of the doors.

At intervals along the outer edge of the door j amb frame the outer plates is are cut away and fitted with depressed inserts 24 preferably provided with a stiffened or reinforced bottom wall 25. Screw threaded through the bottom wall 25 in each insert 24 is a screw 26 having a conical head 21 and fitted with a lock nut 23. The space within the frame pieces [0, I l and I2 is preferably filled with concrete or other fireproofing and heat resistant material 29.

Detachably secured along the outer edge of the back plates I5 of the frame pieces Ill, H and I2 respectively, by screws 30, so as to extend outwardly beyond the outer edges of these back pieces and parallel therewith, are clamping flange bars 3|.

Doors 32 of any suitable fire resistant vault type are swung in the door jamb frame 9 by means of hinges 32 secured to the vertical frame pieces l0 and II. The doors 32 illustrated are of sheet metal and concrete construction consisting of a front plate 33, a rear plate 34 and edge plates 35. Concrete fills the space between the front and rear plates except for a space 36 adjacent the rear plate necessary to accommodate boltwork which is designated generally as 3?. The upper edge plates of the doors are formed with the angular flanges 23 complementary to the flange 22 to interfit therewith as shown in Figure 4, and the free vertical edge plates of the doors may be formed with similar complementary and interfitting flanges (not shown). The outer vertical edge plates of the doors are formed with the .tongues 2| abovementioned which fit within the groove 2% in closed position of the doors as seen in Figure 3. A slight spacing is provided between the contiguous edges of the doors and the contiguous edges of the doors and door jamb frame to permit expansion without buckling.

To install, the wall opening 2 should be accurately constructed with the sides and rib 5 square and plumb and with the width and height dimension such as to have no more than one-half inch spacing between the opening and the outer plates I of the door j-arnb frame when installed therein. With the back flange bars 3! removed, the door jamb frame is slid into the opening from the front of the vault until the flange l8 of the front plate I4 bears firmly against the front surface of the wall. The top flange bar 3! is now attached to the top frame piece 12 by means of its screws so that it bears against the rear face of the rib 5. The screws 25 are next backed out in the vertical side frame pieces l0 and I l until their heads bear firmly against the side walls of the opening I and are adjusted until the door jamb frame is centered in the opening with the spacing between side frame pieces and opening walls equal on both sides. As noted above this space should not exceed one-half inch. 7

The side flange bars 3| are now attached to the vertical frame pieces and l I and the top flange bar temporarily removed to adjust the screws 26 in the top frame piece into tight engagement with the top wall of the opening 2. Next the top flange bar is reattached and the doors swung open as a test to find whether they bind or will not remain in any open position without independent movement. If binding is present or the doors fail to remain stationary in any position, the screws 26 are readjusted until correction is obtained, making sure that either the top flange bar or the side flange bars 3| are attached.

The construction may be easily modified to adapt it for different times of eifective heat and flame retarding, such as for two, four, six hours, etc., simply by changing the width of the frame pieces of the vestibule. For example, in a four hour construction the width of the frame pieces between the edge plates may be 3% inches and increasing this dimension to 6 inches the construction is effective for six hours.

It will be noted in Figures 2 and 3 that the rib 5 not only forms an abutment cooperating with the flange bars 3| to secure the door jamb frame in the vault wall opening but the rib 5 also cooperates with the shoulder or step [8 to provide a bafile to inhibit the passage of flame through the space between the door jamb frame and the wall opening when the front plate It initially buckles outwardly under heat. Although the front plate l i buckles outwardly under heat this is accompanied by an inward movement of the shoulder It which seals closely against the forward face of the rib 5 to effectively block passage of flame and heat as the time of heating advances.

As an example of the heat retarding characteristic of this invention, tests performed under fire conditions on a six hour construction showed that at a furnace temperature of 2150 maintained for a period of six hours outside the vault at the door, a thermocouple reading at the flange bars 35 showed a temperature of only 250 F. at the end of the six hour period.

It will be observed from the drawings that the angular flange interfit between the doors and the upper edge of the door and door jamb frame will provide for free door swinging and for expansion and still maintain a fiame seal. 0n the hinge edges of the doors Where expansion movement may be blocked by the hinges it is advisable to provide a supplemental flame seal in the form of a laterally curved, resilient metal strip 39 between the tongue 2i and the bottom of the recess 20. The sill, it is found, will buckle upwardly under heat to seal the small clearance space between the bottom of the doors and sill.

I claim:

1. A non-grout, fire and heat retarding door construction for vaults and the like having a rectangular access opening in a wall thereof comprising a rectangular door jamb frame having side and top frame members of box form comprising inner, outer, front and rear plates secured within said opening with the side and top frame members spaced laterally from the corresponding side and top faces of said opening, an inwardly projecting rib formed on and extending continuously and longitudinally along the side and top faces of said opening and intermediate the front and rear faces of the wall, and an outwardly projecting shoulder formed on and extending continuously and longitudinally along the side and top frame members and overlapping but spaced from said rib to provide baffle means in the space between said frame and wall, and door means hinged to said frame.

2. A non-grout, fire and heat retarding door construction for vaults and the like having a rectangular access opening in a wall thereof comprising a rectangular door jamb frame secured within said opening, said frame comprising vertical side box frame pieces joined at the upper ends thereof by a horizontal box frame piece and at the lower ends thereof by a flat sill piece, the said box frame pieces each having an outer plate laterally spaced respectively from the corresponding face of said opening, an inner plate, a front plate and a rear plate, an inwardly projecting continuous rib formed on and extending longitudinally along the side and top faces of said opening intermediate the front and rear faces of the wall, the outer plate respectively of said frame pieces each being formed with an inwardly extending step forming a continuous shoulder extending longitudinally along said frame pieces and overlapping but spaced from said rib to provide baffle means in the space between said frame and wall, and door means hinged on said frame.

3. A non-grout, fire and heat retarding door construction for vaults and the like having a rectangular access opening in a wall thereof comprising a rectangular door jamb frame secured within said opening, said frame comprising ver-- tical side box frame pieces joined at the upper ends thereof by a horizontal box frame piece and at the lower ends thereof by a flat sill piece, said box frame pieces each comprising a front plate and a back plate parallel thereto and joined thereto by an inner and an outer plate, said front plates extending beyond the outer plates to form a flange engaging the front face of said wall, an inwardly projecting continuous rib having parallel front and back faces formed on and extending longitudinally along the faces of said opening intermediate the front and back faces of the wall, the outer plate of each of said frame pieces being formed with an inwardly extending step extending longitudinally therealong and forming a continuous shoulder overlapping but spaced from the front fac of said rib to provide a baffie in the space between said frame and wall, strip like flange pieces detachably secured to said back plates of the frame pieces and engaging the rear face of said rib to secure said frame in the opening, and door means hinged to said frame.

4. A non-grout, fire and heat retarding door construction for vaults and the like having a rectangular access opening in a wall thereof, comprising a rectangular door jamb frame having side and top frame members of box form comprising inner, outer, front and rear plates secured within said opening with the side and top frame members spaced laterally from the corresponding side and top faces of said opening, an inwardly projecting rib formed on and extending continuously and longitudinally along the side and top faces of said opening and intermediate the front and rear faces of the wall, and an outwardly projecting shoulder formed on and extending continuously and longitudinally along the side and top frame members and overlapping but spaced from said rib to provide bafiie means in the space between said frame and wall, screw means threaded in said frame and extending outwardly from the top and side members thereof and engaging the top and side faces of said opening, said screw means being accessible for manipulation through the space between said frame and wall to adjust the frame relatively to the opening in the plane thereof, and door means hinged on said frame.

5. A non-grout, fire and heat retarding door construction for vaults and the like having a rectangular access opening in a wall thereof, comprising a rectangular door jamb frame secured within said opening, said frame comprising vertical side box. frame pieces joined at the upper ends thereof by a horizontal box frame piece and at the lower ends thereof by a flat sill piece, said box frame pieces each comprising a front plate and a back plate parallel thereto and joined thereto by an inner and an outer plate, said front plates extending beyond the outer plates to form a flange engaging the front face of said wall, an inwardly projecting continuous rib having parallel front and back faces formed on and extending longitudinally along the faces of said opening intermediate the front and back faces of the wall, the outer plate of each of said frame pieces being formed with an inwardly extending step extending longitudinally therealong and forming a continuous shoulder overlapping but spaced from the front face of said rib to provide a bafile in the space between said frame and wall, screw means threaded in said frame pieces and extending outwardly from the outer plates thereof and engaging the side and top faces of said opening, said screw means being accessible through the space between the frame and wall to adjust the frame relative to said opening in the plane thereof, strip like flange pieces detachably secured to said back plates of the frame pieces and engaging the rear face of said wall about said opening to secure said frame in the opening, and door means hinged to said frame.

6. Door jamb construction of the character described, comprising, in combination, a wall having an access opening, box like side and top frame pieces each comprising a front plate, a rear plate and inner and outer side plates joining said front and rear plates, the outer plates being inwardly stepped intermediate the front and rear plates, said outer plates being disposed close to the side and top faces of said wall opening and the side faces of said wall opening being outwardly stepped to match the inward steps of the outer frame plates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 76,898 Farrel Apr. 21, 1868 381,329 Cahill Apr. 1'7, 1888 1,547,721 Bellamore July 28, 1925 1,677,058 Stein July 10, 1928 1,770,189 Abbott July 8, 1930 1,842,084 Fellows Jan. 19, 1932 2,552,515 Bremer May 15, 1951 

